THE YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
On December 2, 1911, there met in the office of C. S. Hull a small group of men interested in securing a modern Young Men’s Christian Association building for the city of Atchison. Although this is the first formal meeting of which there are any minutes recorded it is known that the idea of an organization and building had long existed in the mind of William Carlisle, and that encouragement was given him by many others. At the meeting held on December 2 the Atchison Y. M. C. A. Promotion Club was formally launched with Claude B. Fisk as president.
At the next meeting, held January 1, 1912, an executive committee, composed of R. W. Ramsay, W. B. Collett, Fred Oliver, and C. S. Hull was elected and the secretary was authorized to invite John E. Manley, State secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association, to be present at the next meeting of the club.
On March 6, 1912, the club met at the Byram Hotel for luncheon. Mr. Manley was present at this meeting and outlined a plan for a campaign to raise the necessary funds to erect a modern building. The luncheon meeting adjourned to meet at the office of H. H. Hackney at 4 p. m., at which time a business committee of twenty-five men was appointed. The following composed this committee: H. B. Mize, Fred Oliver, Eugene Howe, W. B. Collett, C. S. Hull, George Guerrier, R. W. Ramsay, Sheffield Ingalls, D. M. Cain, F. W. Woodford, A. F. Heck, August Manglesdorf, Jr., T. A. Moxcey, Eugene Pulliam, E. W. Clausen, Clive Hastings, H. H. Hackney, N. T. Veatch, W. P. Waggener, W. J. Bailey, Charles Linley, Roy Seaton, Claude Fisk, J. A. Shoemaker, Holmes Dysinger. This committee was later increased to twenty-seven, and the names of W. A. Carlisle and W. A. Jackson were added.
The first regular meeting of the provisional committee, as it was now called, was held at the Blish, Mize & Silliman offices March 13 and a permanent organization effected. State Secretary Manley was present. R. W. Ramsay, the present incumbent, was made president at this meeting; Charles Linley, vice-president; C. S. Hull, recording secretary, and George Guerrier, treasurer. T. C. Treat at this time tendered the use of a room in the Simpson building for an office for the organization, which was gratefully accepted.
At a meeting of the executive committee, held March 18, 1912. L. V. Starkey was employed as general secretary and took active charge of the building campaign April 15.
At the meeting held April 22 it was decided to raise $100,000 by public subscription, and the following team captains were elected: S. R. Beebe, O. A. Simmons, H. B. Mize, John R. Taylor, F. M. Woodford, L. M. Baker, Charles A. Brown, W. D. Casey, W. W. Hetherington, and W. A. Jackson.
The charter for the organization bears the date of April 6 and was duly acted upon and signed by the committee of twenty-seven at a meeting held April 22.
In a ten days’ campaign conducted May 15–25, 1912, an amount approximating $85,000 was raised by popular subscription. The headquarters of the campaign were in a room furnished by J. C. Killarney at 105–107 North Fifth street.
The latter part of June, 1912. the site at the northeast corner of Fourth and Commercial streets was contracted for and work begun at once on the building. On December 4, 1913, the splendid building which now occupies that corner was formally opened for the regular work of the association. The membership soon reached 450, and has been maintained at about that point ever since.
The entire cost of building, including site and furnishings, amounted to $113,000.
The Y. M. C. A. building contains thirty-four living rooms with a capacity for fifty men. These rooms are now kept filled practically all the time. A restaurant is operated on the ground floor and there are excellent facilities for handling banquets and committee meetings. The building is always at the disposal of church societies and other organizations for gatherings of any kind.
There is a gymnasium, 44×72 feet, thoroughly equipped with all necessary apparatus and a white tile-lined swimming pool, 20×50 feet. With a separate entrance on Fourth street, there is a special game room for boys ten to fifteen years of age.
The present board of directors is composed of R. W. Ramsay as president; B. L. Brockett, vice-president; H. H. Hackney, recording secretary; Charles Lanley, treasurer; Messrs. W. B. Collett, M. T. Dingess, Claud B. Fisk, J. A. Fletcher, C. C. Ham, W. W. Hetherington, Martin Jensen, J. F. Krueger, H. P. Shepherd, and F. M. Woodford.
The present general secretary, Ira J. Beard, came to the association in April, 1914. Emmett T. Ireland is the present physical director, and George Kassabaum is the assistant secretary.
On the fourth of December, 1914, an anniversary banquet was held in the gymnasium, celebrating the first year of the association in its new building, and the reports of the work accomplished at that time dispelled any feeling there may have been on the part of some that such an institution could not be successfully maintained in Atchison. This banquet was attended by 200 enthusiastic friends and members of the association, and Governor Arthur Capper was a guest of honor.
Membership in the Young Men’s Christian Association is open to any boy or man of good character who is over ten years of age. Membership in the Atchison association is accepted and honored in all other Young Men’s Christian associations throughout the country. The dominant purpose of the association is the building up of Christian character.